Coffee By Design beat out Wicked Joe and the current – and much maligned – Pura Vida in two taste tests during the last week of January.
Mark Allen, director of dining services, said students voted roughly two-to-one for CBD over the competition. Wicked Joe came in second and Pura Vida was last. “The overwhelming choice of our customers was Coffee By Design,” he said. “It was very clear people didn’t like Pura Vida.”
CBD still has some hurdles to jump before they start serving on campus. “We are in the process of negotiating with them to make the switch,” said Allen. “They have to work through some of the legal stuff with Coffee By Design.” He said CBD must update their liability insurance among other things before they go ahead with the change.
“Hopefully we will settle that by mid-March,” said Allen.
The change will affect all dining locations besides the residential dining hall in Gorham. Downeast owns the coffee equipment in the dining hall, so Aramark has to serve their coffee. Allen said if they have the money to purchase their own coffee machines in Gorham then they would switch to CBD as well.
Allen applauded the winning coffee company’s business practices. “They’re a very sophisticated company. They travel all over to visit coffee growing regions. They’re involved very much with farmers,” he said. “It’s very important for us that we maintain that [social responsibility].”
Allen said they plan on holding additional taste test after CBD starts serving to determine which coffee flavors they will stock.